From the fourth generation, I’m
only including new family information.I would sure like to contact a member of this family to see if they have
any additional information on their Wiser ancestors.I appreciate the help of my Uncle Denny in locating many of the
records of the following:

19.Norman Russell Webb (Gertrude Maud Wiser, William H., Samuel
Henry) was born on 30 Aug 1905 in Cle Elum,Kittitas,WA. He died on 23 Nov 1990.

Norman married Mona Faye Cline in 1929. Mona was born on 21 Oct
1903 in WA. She died on 3 May 1986 in Seattle, King, WA.

John
Prescott was born in 1604 in Sowerby-Halifax, Yorkshire, England.He died in Dec 1681 in Lancaster, Worcester,
MA.

The
following excerpt is from the book, “The Military Annals of Lancaster,
Massachusetts, 1740-1865, by Henry S. Nourse, A.M., published, Lancaster, MA
1889”, and from the website, http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~hartshrn/Derick/d263.htm.Please excuse the narrow viewpoint taken of
the Native American at this time in the United States as you will notice in
this excerpt by the author.

“p. 359-In 1669, John Prescott was
proclaimed a freeman. He may have been long a church member, or may not even at
this date have yielded the conscientious scruples that had a quarter of a
century earlier subjected him to Winthrop's reproach. (The laws had been
modified by this date so that even if they were not church members, if they owned
a certain amount of property and were guaranteed by the local minister "to
be Orthodox in Religion and not vicious in their lives," they might be
admitted to the freedom of the commonwealth by a majority vote in the General
Court). About this time he petitioned the court for more land. The request was
referred to a special committee composed of Edward Tyng, George Corwin and
Humphrey Davie, who reported as follows:

In Referrence [reference] to this Petition the Committee[committee] being well
informed that the Petr [petitioner]is an ancient Planter and hath bin [been] a
useful, helpfull [helpful]and publique [public]spirited man doinge [doing]many
good offices for the Country, Relatinge[relating] to the Road to Connecticott
[Connecticut], marking trees, directinge [directing]of Passengers &c and
that the Land Petitioned for beinge [being] but about 107 Acres & Lyinge
[lying] not very Cnvenient [convenient] for any other Plantation, and only
accomodable [accommodateble] for the Pet [petitioner] we judge it reasonable to
confirme [confirm] the Indian Grant to him & his heyres [heirs] if ye
honored Court see meete [meet].

(The Indian who owned this land was James Wiser
alias Quanapaug, the Christian Nashaway chief, whose bravery had been tested in
the contest between the Nipmucks and the Mohawks, and was so firm a friend of
his white neighbors at Lancaster that when Philip persuaded the tribe with
Sagamore Sam to go upon the war path, James refused to join them. He also
served as a spy and tried to save Lancaster from destruction).

It is related that at his first
coming, John Prescott, had soon won the respect of the savages, not only by his
fearlessness and great strength, but by the power of his eye and his dignity of
men. They soon learned to stand in awe of his long musket and unerring skill as
a marksman. He had no doubt seen some military service in England, for he came
of a soldierly race, his great-grandfather having been knighted for gallantry
in battle (remember, not proven ancestry!). He had brought with him from
England a suit of mail-helmet and cuirass-probably such as were worn by the
soldiers of Cromwell. Clothed with these, his stately figure seemed to the sons
of the forest something almost superhuman. One day some Indians, having taken away
a horse of his, he put on his armor, pursued them along, and soon overtook
them. The chief of the party seeing him approach unsupported, met him
menacingly with uplifted tomahawk. Prescott dared him to strike and was
immediately taken at his word, but the rude weapon glanced harmless from the
helmet, to the amazement of the red men. Naturally the Indian desired to try
upon his own head so wonderful a hat, and the owner obligingly gratified him,
claiming the privilege, however, of using the tomahawk in return. The helmet
proving a scant fit or its wearer neglecting to bring it down to its proper
bearings, Prescott's vengeful blow not only astounded him, but left very little
cuticle on either side of his head and nearly deprived him of his ears.
Prescott was allowed to jog home in peace upon his horse. In 1673 Prescott had
nearly attained the age of three score and ten. The weight of years that had
been full of exposure, anxiety and toil and some sharp touch of bodily ailment
warning him of his mortality, he made his will. But John Prescott's pilgrimage
was far from ended, and severer chastenings than any yet experienced awaited
him. He had lived to see the settlement that called him father struggle upward
from discouraging beginnings to become a thriving and happy community of over
fifty families. All this fair scene of industry and rural content, which he
might in modest truth claim to be the fruit of his care and toil, he lived to
see in a single day made more desolate than the wilderness from which it had been
laboriously conquered. (The Indian massacre of Lancaster in 1676 was
devastating and those residents who survived were forced to flee to a safer
place).”

POSTSCRIPT

Once
again, thanks for any suggestions in regards to our family newsletter.You may contact me at or at 6 Baton
Rouge, Roswell, NM88201, or at (505)
623-2534.